A modern Pony Express rider is coming through Summit County
Professional cyclist, Lachlan Morton, is attempting to beat the fastest Pony Express run in history on a nearly 2,000-mile ride across the American West
PARK CITY, Utah – When Lachlan Morton reaches Summit County sometime in the middle of the day Thursday, he will be following a route that once carried some of the nation’s most important messages across the American frontier.
He’ll just be doing it on a bicycle and at a pace the Pony Express riders themselves would have recognized as extreme.
Morton, an Australian professional cyclist known for long-distance and unconventional cycling adventures, is attempting to ride the historic Pony Express route from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, covering roughly 1,966 miles.
His goal is to beat the fastest Pony Express run on record: seven days, 17 hours, set in 1861 when a relay of riders carried President Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address to California.
Morton left St. Joseph early Monday morning and, four days into the effort Thursday morning, had covered roughly 1,700 miles. He’s been averaging about 425 kilometers — more than 260 miles — per day.
If he maintains that pace, he is expected to pass through Summit County around midday Thursday.
From Wyoming to Salt Lake City
Morton’s Utah route will bring him into the state’s northeast corner from Wyoming’s southwest corner, roughly 1,850 kilometers into the journey.
He’ll head west toward Coalville along East Chalk Creek Road before turning north toward Henefer. From there, he’ll follow State Route 65 toward East Canyon Reservoir.
Then the route gets more technical.
Morton will leave the highway and follow a singletrack section of the historic Pony Express route toward Big Mountain. From there, he’ll descend through Emigration Canyon into Salt Lake City before continuing west across Utah on the historic route.
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The Pony Express operated for only 18 months, beginning in April 1860, but its riders became symbols of speed and endurance in the American West. The first mail took nearly 10 days to travel between St. Joseph and Sacramento. The special 1861 run carrying Lincoln’s inaugural address was the fastest, taking seven days and 17 hours.
In a video posted before the ride, Morton acknowledged the difficulty of his target.
“Supposedly, it was ridden in 7 hours17 hours at some point, which is wildly fast,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s achievable, but that’s what we’re going to try and go for.”
Riding into the night
Morton’s first three days offered a preview of what the attempt would demand.
By the third day, he had reached roughly 1,650 kilometers and was riding through Wyoming. He started around 2 a.m. and pushed west through a strong headwind, with a rider from the Netherlands joining him for part of the journey after tracking his progress online.
The rider eventually had to turn back to make it to class at the University of Wyoming.
Morton continued west.
As darkness fell, the route became increasingly difficult to follow. He attempted to reroute through the Wyoming desert but found himself pushing through deep, loose sand and brush, with his pedals and wheels repeatedly catching on vegetation.
His goal was to reach the crest of South Pass before stopping for the night.
From there, roughly 400 kilometers remained before Salt Lake City.
Professional cyclist, Lachlan Morton, is attempting to beat the fastest Pony Express run in history on a nearly 2,000-mile ride across the American West
Morton’s route has also taken him through country that is familiar in a less historical way.
In 2023, he rode the Tour Divide, the roughly 2,700-mile mountain bike route from Canada to the Mexican border. During that ride, he nearly suffered hypothermia in Wyoming and lost feeling in his fingers for months, according to the Day 3 update accompanying his current effort.
This time, he has come prepared for a very different kind of endurance challenge.
Three bikes for the 2,000 mile journey
Morton started the Pony Express attempt with three bicycles: a mountain bike and two gravel bikes.
His Cannondale Topstone gravel bike is expected to handle most of the route. He has fitted it with aero bars and bags for food and supplies and brought different wheels so he can switch between road and gravel tires.
The mountain bike is there for rougher terrain.
“Obviously, the bike for the terrain,” Morton said when describing how he’ll choose among them.
Changing out bikes will come into play in Summit County.
The route between East Canyon and Salt Lake City includes a singletrack section where Morton will use his mountain bike to climb toward Big Mountain before dropping into Emigration Canyon.
The original Pony Express riders changed horses repeatedly. According to records horses were switched out every 10-15 miles while rider rode for 100-mile stretches as they crossed the country.
Morton is no stranger to Park City’s trails. In 2021, he competed in the 75-mile Park City Point 2 Point mountain bike race, finishing third after an early flat forced him to chase his way back through the field.
In 2021, he also completed the entire Tour de France route on his own, without the support of a team, riding every stage and the transfers between them. He has chronicled many of his long-distance adventures through the Thereabouts film series, which follows Morton and his brother, Gus, as they use bikes to explore places ranging from Australia to the Rocky Mountains and Colombia.
For his current adventure, more than 165 years after the end of the Pony Express, the challenge is the same: cross nearly 2,000 miles of the American West as quickly as possible. On Thursday, Morton’s wheels will retrace history as he rolls through Summit County.
Then Morton will keep riding west.
2266 E Garfield Avenue
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